This application claims the priority of 198 12 179.2-21, filed Mar. 19, 1998, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a steering column arrangement for a motor vehicle, having an exterior, stationarily arranged steering column tube as well as having an interior steering column tube which is telescopically displaceable in the exterior steering column tube. An adjusting device is operative between the two steering column tubes for displacing the interior steering column tube inside the exterior steering column tube, and has an adjusting member which is stationarily applied to the interior steering column tube, extends longitudinally and is aligned axially in parallel with the steering axis. Energy absorption devices are assigned to the adjusting member.
A steering column arrangement is described in DE 195 24 196 C1. This known steering column arrangement has a steering spindle which carries a steering wheel and which is rotatably disposed in an interior steering column tube. The interior steering column tube is telescopically displaceably disposed in an exterior steering column tube. The exterior steering column tube is fixed to the vehicle body supporting structure of the motor vehicle.
For displacing the interior steering column tube with respect to the exterior steering column tube, an adjusting arrangement is configured as a spindle drive operated by an electric motor. The spindle drive has an adjusting spindle which extends axially in parallel to the steering axis of the steering spindle on the outside along the exterior and the interior steering column tube and is fixed by a holding device on a frontal end stationarily to the interior steering column tube. In the area of the exterior steering column tube, a threaded nut is disposed on the adjusting spindle configured as a threaded spindle and is disposed between two energy-absorbing bearing blocks. By way of a corresponding gearbox, the electric servo motor acts upon the threaded nut.
In the event of an impact load onto the motor vehicle, additional impact energy can be absorbed in the area of the adjusting arrangement in the known arrangement by plastically deforming the energy-absorbing bearing blocks through the introduction of force by way of the adjusting spindle. Depending on the direction of the impact load, i.e., from the steering gear or from the vehicle interior and therefore from the steering wheel, tension and pressure loads therefore act upon the adjusting spindle which can be reduced by way of the energy-absorbing bearing blocks while absorbing energy.